New Covid-19 variant detected in SA
25 November 2021
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, confirms that through collaborative efforts with private laboratories and the NGS-SA members, a new COVID-19 variant, B.1.1.529, has been detected in South Africa. Twenty-two positive cases of variant B.1.1.529 have been recorded in the country following genomic sequencing collaborations between the NICD and private laboratories. In addition, other NGS-SA laboratories are confirming more cases as sequencing results come out.
“It is not surprising that a new variant has been detected in South Africa,” comments Prof Adrian Puren, NICD Acting Executive Director. He adds that, “Although the data are limited, our experts are working overtime with all the established surveillance systems to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be. Developments are occurring at a rapid pace and the public has our assurance that we will keep them up to date.”
Detected cases and percent testing positive are both increasing quickly, particularly in Gauteng, North West and Limpopo. Dr Michelle Groome, Head of the Division of Public Health Surveillance and Response at the NICD says that provincial health authorities remain on high alert and are prioritising the sequencing of COVID-19 positive samples.
She stresses that regardless of the emergence of new COVID-19 variants, the importance of non-pharmaceutical interventions remains unchanged and the public are urged to be responsible. “This means that individuals should get vaccinated, wear masks, practice healthy hand hygiene, maintain social distancing, and gather in well ventilated spaces.” She concludes with, “Individual compliance to preventative measures can have a great collective impact in limiting the spread of the new variant.”
Issued by NICD, 25 November 2021
***
LATEST CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN SOUTH AFRICA (25 NOVEMBER 2021)
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service, continues to provide laboratory-based surveillance to inform the public health response towards COVID-19 in South Africa.
Today the institute reports 2,465 new COVID-19 cases that have been identified in South Africa, which brings the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases to 2,952,500. This increase represents a 6.5% positivity rate. As per the National Department of Health, a further 114 COVID-19 related deaths have been reported, bringing total fatalities to 89,771 to date.
19,318,050 tests have been conducted in both public and private sectors as per the table below.
|
Sector |
Total tested |
New tested |
||
|
Private |
10,366,264 |
53.7% |
19,770 |
51,9% |
|
Public |
8,951,786 |
46.3% |
18,305 |
48.1% |
|
Total |
19,318,050 |
100.0% |
38,075 |
100.0% |
PROVINCIAL BREAKDOWN
The majority of new cases today are from Gauteng (79%), followed by North West accounting for 5%. Western Cape accounted for 4%; KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo each accounted for 3% respectively; Mpumalanga accounted for 2%; and Eastern Cape, Free State and Northern Cape each accounted for 1% respectively of today’s new cases. The cumulative number of cases by province is shown in the table below:
|
Province |
Total cases for 24 Nov 2021 |
Adjusted numbers after harmonisation |
Updated total cases on 24 Nov 2021 |
New cases on 25 Nov 2021 |
Total cases for 25 Nov 2021 |
Percentage total |
|
Eastern Cape |
293,068 |
0 |
293,068 |
30 |
293,098 |
9.9 |
|
Free State |
165,366 |
0 |
165,366 |
29 |
165,395 |
5.6 |
|
Gauteng |
932,735 |
3 |
932,738 |
1,950 |
934,688 |
31.7 |
|
KwaZulu-Natal |
517,881 |
0 |
517,881 |
68 |
517,949 |
17.5 |
|
Limpopo |
123,201 |
0 |
123,201 |
75 |
123,276 |
4.2 |
|
Mpumalanga |
153,445 |
0 |
153,445 |
55 |
153,500 |
5.2 |
|
North West |
153,594 |
-3 |
153,591 |
132 |
153,723 |
5.2 |
|
Northern Cape |
93,201 |
0 |
93,201 |
28 |
93,229 |
3.2 |
|
Western Cape |
517,544 |
0 |
517,544 |
98 |
517,642 |
17.5 |
|
Total |
2,950,035 |
0 |
2,950,035 |
2,465 |
2,952,500 |
100.0 |
THE 7-DAY MOVING AVERAGE NUMBER OF NEW CASES BY PROVINCE
The proportion of positive new cases/total new tested today is 6.5% which is higher than yesterday (3.6%).. The 7-day average is 3.4% today, which is higher than yesterday (2.7%).
For more detailed information, visit the GIS Dashboard.
HOSPITAL ADMISSIONS
There has been an increase of 98 hospital admissions in the past 24 hours. The following table is a summary of reported COVID-19 admissions by sector.
|
Sector |
Facilities Reporting |
Admissions |
Died to Date |
Currently Admitted |
|
Private |
258 |
200,926 |
37,354 |
1,231 |
|
Public |
408 |
236,067 |
57,179 |
941 |
|
TOTAL |
666 |
436,993 |
94,533 |
2,172 |
VACCINE UPDATE
For updates on the national vaccine programme, click here.
Thank you for your interest and remember that adhering to the following preventative measures helps to limit your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19.
- Getting vaccinated for COVID-19
- Wearing your mask properly to cover your nose
- Opting to gather in ventilated spaces
- Avoid unnecessary gatherings
- Keeping a social distance of one meter or more
- Washing your hands regularly in the day with soap and water
For more information on COVID-19, click here.
Issued by Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, Senior Communications Manager, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, 25 November 2021
